With the World Wide Web, a user of the Internet can access information and data through a service provider. In order to pay for the data services, the user typically pays a flat fee to the provider, regardless of the volume of data the user receives and how much traffic is transmitted.
Currently, it is also possible for an end user to use a mobile device such as a cell phone or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) to access the Internet for wireless data services. For example, such data services include browsing in the Internet web sites using the mobile device. In general, the mobile operator who provides the service gets revenue for the data transmitted in the mobile network. In the circuit-switched case, such as in a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) network, the operator typically charges the end user based on the time the data call is active. In the packet-switched case, such as in a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) network, the operator typically charges the end user based on the number of transmitted packets.
In many cases, the content providers voluntarily make the requested data available to the end user for their own benefit. For example, a theater owner is likely to post the show time of various movies for the potential moviegoers. In this case, the content provider is not expected to generate revenue from providing the information or data. In other data services, such as certain law databases, the end users must pay a fee for data access.
When it comes to the revenue to a content provider who provides data services for the mobile network or for the fixed Internet, an end user of the mobile network is typically required to enter into a contract with each content provider. For example, the end user is required to subscribe to the services and authorize the content provider to charge the service usage to a credit card account.
Requiring a subscription from the end user for each service, particularly when performing manual entry of a user's name and charge account number, for example, would slow down the wide adoption of mobile services. This requirement adds inconvenience to the end user, and thus affects the number of end users who use the data services. Such data service procedures do not provide sufficient incentive to the content developers to innovate and implement new services.
Thus, it is advantageous and desirable to provide a method and mechanism for improving the procedure for paying the content providers who provide data services to the end users of a mobile device.